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Whenever someone mentions the word Italy, I can’t help but envision piazzas… old Italian men making idle chat on the steps of a public building while flocks of schoolchildren play tag around a fountain. Ok, that may be one example of a scene playing in my head, but in general, I think of a place where people are at the center of attention and develop a sense of community in the public domain.

Conceptualized by Italian company esterni, who has been churning out ideas, projects and proposals on urban design for the past 13 years, the festival will be filled with live installations, projects and workshops all focused on the use (and oftentimes neglect) of public spaces. It will hit Milan’s streets during Milan Design Week 2009, April 18th through April 26th, in the normally chaotic Piazza del Maggio.

For the first time in Italy, Winfried Baumann will present his “Instant Solutions” including instant housing:

and instant cooking…

The festival will also host “duepercinque” – an exhibit aimed at re-discovering urban parking areas:

Catch the opening party on Tuesday, April 21st from 9pm – 3am in the Piazza XXIV Maggio to kick off a week of social design and invention.